Often Irreverent, Mostly Rational Blog for Fans of the Toronto Blue Jays. One Day, We'll Be Perfect.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The Rays are scary

Last night's game scared the crap out of us.

As much as we'd like to imagine that the Jays were underestimated coming into the season and that the Rays were going to turn back into pumpkins at any moment, the truth is that the Greater Tampa-St. Petersburg area squad is really good. And not just a flash in a moment type of good, but for the foreseeable future.

And aside from the notion of having to try to keep pace with the Rays in the AL East standings, the Jays still have a whole heap of games against them (and the Red Sox and the Yankees) between now and the end of the season. And while we wouldn't say that this is the case at present, it's entirely possible that the Jays could have assembled the fourth best team in all of baseball in the coming years and still finish fourth in their division.

Cripes.

About last nightIf we had to use one word to describe the Jays performance last night, it is "lifeless". It's the sort of game that you would imagine a team playing after getting back home after a long road trip, but the Jays had the benefit of sleeping in their own beds last night.

Roy Halladay didn't exactly look like vintage Doc over his six innings of work, which isn't to say he pitched poorly. He got deep into a few counts and walked a couple of batters, but still managed seven strikeouts. We're guessing that he didn't turn it up to 11 in his first start after his DL stint, and that he'll be even better next time out.

Not that anyone should be hanging last night's loss on Halladay. Jeff Niemann has been a serviceable pitcher this season and had a good game last night, but there were a handful of at bats - and not just by Vernon Wells - where the Jays kept their bats on their shoulders and let the young Tampa hurler take it to them.

We hope they felt some shame, got a good rest last night, and that they plan to bring some frickin' noise tonight.

17 comments:

Lifeless is a good way to describe how the Jays looked last night.I hate to say it again, but the team is back in its comfort zone of 4th place, where there is no longer any need to sabotage themselves, so they will now have subconscious permission to win a few games, just as long as they don't vault past the Rays. Niemann was very hittable last might but the batters made him look much better than he is, by leaving their bats on their shoulders when he threw one down the 'pike early in the count.I predict that the Jays bats will come alive tonight, Rios will hit well, and that Richmond will have another solid outing.The odds are that the Rays are due to get taken down tonight after a mini winning streak.

The worst part is the Rays are only getting better. There pitching staff (and prospect pipeline) is so deep that they can trade a stud like Edwin Jackson and still be in the playoff hunt. The Rays style of NL ball (steals, sacrifices, etc) plays well in an American League full of lay and pray offenses, weak defenses and poor throwing catchers.

It is still crazy when you look at the Jays' record -- they are second place in any other division except the NL East where they would be first. Not that I disagree with RM, but just saying that this a fourth place team that most fans in most places would be pretty happy with right now. I know it's just how it is, and the Rays make it worse.

Guys in the end, JP has crafted a 4th place team. Enough of, if the Jays were in another division already. The Yankees no longer have a punching bag and the Rays have exposed how terrible a GM JP has been. He can no longer look at the Red Sox and Yankees and point fingers, now there's a new team in the pack.

IN some small way, I hope that the Rogers wake up and the next GM and manager will change the culture and ways of this team. Hopefully, he will get rid of thos two losers, Wells and Rios. What a waste of space in the lineup. Spending 20 mill a year on bay or get Damon as a bench player next year, BUT dump those two losers. They are comfortable in their mediocrity.

My wife asked me a question that I had no answer for: If errors are given to fielders on plays that the player should have made - why aren't there errors given to batters on ABs that the batter should have gotten a hit on?

Also, this is sort of stolen from the DJF comment section - but why didn't BJ Ryan come into last nights game and bean somebody? Seriously, these are our division rivals and we go out and play without any fire. Why doesn't one of our pitchers try and get something going? And I'd rather BJ bean somebody, than come in and give up a lead off walk...